Walz Threatens Federal Agents Again After Latest Minneapolis Shooting
Minnesota’s Democratic leadership is escalating its confrontation with the federal government following the Jan. 24 fatal shooting of 37-year-old Alex Pretti by a U.S. Border Patrol agent—an incident now being used to intensify resistance to President Donald J. Trump’s immigration enforcement operations.
Gov. Tim Walz and other state officials vowed that Minnesota “will have the last word” on the shooting, placing blame squarely on the Trump administration’s deployment of federal agents to carry out immigration enforcement—operations Walz and fellow Democrats have openly opposed.
“I have a strong statement here for our federal government,” Walz said. “Minnesota’s justice system will have the last word on this. It must have the last word.”
Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison announced late Saturday that he filed a lawsuit against federal officials “to prevent the destruction of evidence” related to the shooting. A federal judge in Minnesota subsequently issued an order barring the Trump administration from “destroying or altering evidence” connected to the incident.
The ruling followed a separate lawsuit filed the same day by the Hennepin County Attorney’s Office and the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension, aimed at preserving evidence tied to the fatal encounter, Fox News reported.
As protests intensified, Walz requested the deployment of Minnesota National Guard troops to secure the shooting site and the Whipple Federal Building—long known as a staging area for immigration authorities and now a focal point for anti-ICE demonstrations.
“The Minnesota National Guard’s mission remains the same: preserving life, protecting property, and ensuring Minnesotans can safely exercise their First Amendment rights,” Army Maj. Andrea Tsuchiya, a state National Guard public affairs officer, said in a statement.
Federal authorities have stated that Pretti, a U.S. citizen and intensive care unit nurse for the VA, was armed with a handgun and intended to use it against law enforcement during the encounter in Minneapolis. Officials said a struggle occurred before a Border Patrol agent fired.
The shooting came amid already heightened tensions following the earlier death of Renee Nicole Good, 37, who was fatally shot by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer earlier this month. That incident also sparked protests and demands from Democratic officials for increased scrutiny of federal law-enforcement operations in the state.
Attorney General Pam Bondi addressed the latest shooting during national media appearances, defending federal agents and warning protesters against interfering with law enforcement or targeting officers.
Bondi said federal authorities will pursue accountability where warranted, while stressing that attacks on officers or obstruction of federal operations constitute federal crimes. She also confirmed that she sent a letter to Walz urging cooperation with federal immigration authorities to prevent further violence as “Operation Metro Surge” continues.
Meanwhile, Pretti’s father, Michael Pretti, told The Associated Press that his son became involved in protests after the Jan. 7 fatal shooting of Renee Nicole Good by an ICE agent. He said his son was deeply upset by what he viewed as ICE actions in Minneapolis and nationwide.
“He thought it was terrible, you know, kidnapping children, just grabbing people off the street,” Michael Pretti said. “He cared about those people, and he knew it was wrong, so he did participate in protests.”
Pretti’s parents said they had recently urged their son to be cautious while protesting and warned him not to “engage” or “do anything stupid.”
“He said he knows that. He knew that,” Michael Pretti told the outlet.
As Minnesota officials move to challenge federal authority through lawsuits and public pressure, the case has become a flashpoint in the broader national fight over immigration enforcement and the limits of state resistance under President Trump.